A Closer Look at the Health Benefits of Pineapple
There have been an increase in talk about the potential health benefits of pineapple. In times like this when money has become tight, many people have thrown take-out menus in the garbage in an attempt to save money. This, in turn, has led to many re-evaluating their diet and overall health. Many people are now seeking out healthier foods that are not only chock full of the good stuff (you know: vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc.), but also affordable and attainable. The good news is that pineapple is one of the best fruits to have in your kitchen!
Pineapple contains a great deal of essential nutrients that you should gobble up on a daily basis. Calcium, potassium, vitamin c, and even fiber are a few of the vitamins and minerals that this juicy yellow fruit has to offer. If you have kids, you may want to consider adding a bit more pineapple to their diet as well, because pineapple has quite a lot of manganese which is a mineral essential to building strong, healthy bones. A cup of chopped pineapple provides an adult with about seventy-five percent of the recommended daily amount of manganese.
This fruit just keeps on giving! Because it is high in vitamin c, a regular helping of pineapple can actually help fortify your immune system to fight against colds and the flu. It also contains an enzyme called bromelain, which can help soothe the symptoms of sinusitis due to its mucus-reducing qualities. If you are suffering from a cold or sinus problems and don’t feel up to eating solids, try drinking pineapple juice—it’s just as nutritious but a little easier to handle when you aren’t feeling well. Women have been using pineapple juice as a cure for morning sickness, and studies have shown that it actually does help!
The benefits of pineapple are not limited to its abundance of vitamins and minerals, but it is also low in fat and cholesterol. Those of you looking to lose some weight or lower your cholesterol should be glad to know that pineapple will both satisfy your sweet tooth and keep you full much longer than those snack cakes we all love so much. Plus, you can enjoy seeing those numbers on the scale go down and avoid chastising stares from your doctor. Eating a few pineapple chunks every other day can also help reduce the plaque buildup on your chompers and promote overall good oral health. So in addition to slimming down and keeping your cholesterol in check, you can also enjoy healthy teeth!
All of us experience constipation at some point in our lives, and for those of us who suffer from it more frequently, it’s nice to know that we don’t have to swallow five fiber capsules each day to stay regular. Pineapple is a known digestive aid that can help prevent constipation and the lowers the risk of inflammation. It has also been used as a remedy for treating an upset stomach and heartburn—and it works, thanks to the bromelain found in this fruit.
Some of you may be thinking that you don’t like the taste of pineapple or that you don’t really want to go to the hassle of preparing fresh pineapple on a regular basis. You may even be thinking that you won’t be able to handle the repetitiveness of eating pineapple on a daily basis. There is an alternative to eating fresh pineapple. Many health food stores both online and locally offer pineapple supplements in both a powdered drink-mix and capsule form. Most often they will fall under the name of bromelain, as this is the most coveted part of the pineapple fruit. Some people even opt for the bromelain tea, which is often extracted from the stem of the pineapple as it is more bromelain-rich than the fruit itself.
As you can see, the benefits of pineapple are numerous! This tropical fruit definitely deserves some consideration as being one of the single-most healthful fruits out there!